Stan Van Gundy addresses the media after being introduced as the Detroit Pistons' head coach and president of basketball operations at the Palace of Auburn Hills on May 15, 2014. / Associated Press

By Dan Feldman

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

Dan Feldman writes for the Detroit Pistons blog PistonPowered. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. PistonPowered writers will contribute a column every Friday at freep.com/pistons. Contact Dan anytime at pistonpowered@gmail.com or on Twitter @pistonpowered.

Anytime the Pistons have mustered positive momentum lately, it has sputtered before sparking anything greater. At a certain point, it’s OK to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.

For a fleeting moment, Stan Van Gundy’s hiring gave Detroit prominence. Nearly every national pundit lauded the move.

But the shine already has worn off.

Van Gundy went into the off-season trying to hit singles, and connecting on one or two — even if that was his goal — isn’t inspiring for a team that went 29-53 last season. Collectively, Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, D.J. Augustin, Cartier Martin, Aaron Gray and Spencer Dinwiddie don’t move the needle, not in the Eastern Conference.

All eight of last year’s playoff teams still should be viewed ahead of the Pistons right now. LeBron James vaulted the Cleveland Cavaliers well in front of Detroit, too.

No. 10 in the East — two spots outside the postseason — is a fair starting point for the Pistons.

Of course, a lot can change between now and the end of the regular season. Many teams, possibly including Detroit, will stray far from expectations. But a baseline standard is still useful.

So what hope is there for the Pistons to overcome theirs and reach the playoffs?

As I scan their underwhelming roster, even assuming Greg Monroe’s return, it’s tough to see much progress from last season. Only one new player, Meeks, is even a lock for the rotation. Butler and Augustin have solid chances, and Martin can’t be ruled out, either, but this group hardly guarantees progress.

Young players such as Drummond, Monroe and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also should improve — but how much?

And that gets to the No. 1 reason the Pistons have a fighting chance to end their playoff skid: Van Gundy.

Van Gundy’s first eight teams — three in Miami and five in Orlando — made the playoffs. (His third Heat team won the NBA championship, but after Pat Riley replaced Van Gundy after an 11-10 start.) Is that enough of a track record that we can rely on him getting Detroit there, too?

And collectively, their teams reached the playoffs 91% of the time (39-for-43) after their first eight seasons.

Van Gundy just might have proved himself good enough to drag nearly any team into the postseason.

On the other hand, nearly every Van Gundy team has featured an All-NBA first-teamer. Howard was the first-team center in all five of Van Gundy’s years with the Magic, and Shaquille O’Neal held that position — with Dwyane Wade on the second team — during Van Gundy’s final two seasons with the Heat.

Only Van Gundy’s first Miami squad — a talented team that featured Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones and a rookie Wade — lacked an All-NBA player. So hopefully, Van Gundy can call upon that experience this season. For the Pistons to have success, they’ll need to summon similar balance and harmony — unless Drummond is ready to make a huge leap.

And that gets right back to Van Gundy, anyway. His experience with Howard provides reason to believe that Drummond can ascend to great heights with his new coach. After all, Howard never reached the All-NBA first team until Van Gundy arrived in Orlando.

However, Howard already had made the All-NBA third team the year prior. Drummond received a single vote for the honor this past season. Howard was much further along in his development than Drummond when his partnership with Van Gundy began.

Quite possibly, the 2014-15 Pistons will be Van Gundy’s least talented team. If he’s really a perpetual playoff coach, Detroit will put that status to the test.

Still, the Pistons have talent. Not enough to generate swaths of confidence, but enough to have a realistic chance of making the postseason with the right breaks and good coaching. That last ingredient has been missing in Detroit for years.

Van Gundy finally changes that perception, and if he leads the Pistons to the playoffs, the greater perception will change, too.